One of the biggest organisations in the Pacific, the Forum Fisheries Agency, has launched a new policy that allows them to provide immediate financial assistance to workers who are victims of domestic abuse.

A lawyer in Guam says around 160 cases of child sexual abuse related to the Catholic Church have now been filed - in a scandal that's implicated more than a dozen priests and even a bishop and archbishops.

The Australian Catholic Church is being challenged to take responsibility and deal with crimes carried out by its Church officials overseas, in countries that include Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.

As Papua New Guinea undergoes a rapid period of urbanisation, with thousands continuing to flock to the major towns, there are fears that buildings aren't being constructed to a standard that would survive a strong earthquake - which could result in large numbers of casualties.